Sea-going canal-boat.



A. & A. M. IVIGDOUGALL.

SBA GOING CANAL BOAT;

' APPLICATION FILED 0011.10, 1913.

1 12mm Patented Feb.16, 1915.

but an it open.

ALEXANDER MCDOUGALL AND ALEXANDER IVE. MODOUGALL, 0F DULUTH, MINNEEaOTA.

SEA-GOING CANAL- BOAT.

Specification of lietters Patent.

Patented Feb. l d, llWl-fi.

Application filed October 10, 1913. Serial No-7 9tfl52.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALEXANDER McDon- GALLand ALEXANDER M. McDoUcALL, citizens of the United States, residing atDuluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Sea-Going Canal- Boats, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being bad therein to theaccompanying drawing.

Our invention relates to improvements in sea-going canal boats.

ur present invention consists of certain improvements in vessels andrelates particularlyto a vessel adapted to both sea and canalnavigation.

The object is to produce a vessel of this character of the cheapestpossible construction and of a form to utilize the greatest capacitypossible within canals and locks and also the maximum carrying capacityat sea in relation to the size of the vessel.

In canal construction, as is obvious, limitations must be made, as, forinstance, in one canal now buildingr in the United States, andconnecting the reat Lakes with the ocean costing some one hundredmillion dollars or more, the total length is approximately three hundredand fifty miles, with thirty five locks, each three hundred and twentyeight feet long and. forty-five feet wide, with only twelve feet ofwater and having more than two hundred fixed span bridges crossing it.

Our object is to provide a vessel easily, safely and economicallynavigable within such limitations and still be a seaworthy, practicalsea-going vessel.

lln the canal referred to the distance between the under side of themany fixed bridges and the water below is approximately only twelvefeet, which would prohibit the use of superstructures upon anyconsiderable size of vessel and especially upon a vessel sufiicientlylarge for sea navigation.

Thus a further object of our present invention is to produce a vesselhaving the superstructures, et cetera, adapted to seagoing, andpractical means for dispensing with such superstructures when navigatingrestricted canals.

Still another object is to provide a vessel admirably adapted towithstand the abuse incident to navigating a canal having manyrestricted locks and abrupt walls, as are common.

Referring now to the accompanying draw ings, forming part of thisspecification;

igure 1 is a side elevation of our improved vessel as equipped forseagoing navigation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same withsuperstructure unshipped and ready for canal navigation. Fig. 3 is astern elevation with lines indicating the form of the vessel at sectionsaa, Z2a, and ca Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a midship sectional view. Fig. 5 is abow elevation with lines indicating the form of the vessel at sectionsa-a and b-a, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a canal lockwith our improved vessel therein. Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectionalmidship View showing the fore and aft tramways. Fig. 8 is a sectionaldetailed view of the means for fastening the hatches to the deck.

The hull of the vessel, comprising the sides 1-l, bottom 2 and deck 3 ispreferably substantially rectangular in cross-section approximatelythree quarters of its length, from the bow aft, and only that part ofthe under side of the stern portion cut away and of regular ship form asto insure easy passage leaving the water, and of good steering form.Thus the major portion of the ship may be constructed of forms andshapes substantially as they come from the mill, without bending orshaping, which greatly oheapens the construction. For the framing of thevessel we prefer to use channel bars riveted back to back at their ends,resulting in the simplest and strongest construction possible.

r llt is understood that the length across the deck and bottom, channelswill admit of the few inches of camber for the deck and necessary convexof bottom without heating or bending by machinery. .The rounded form orship-shape of sea going vessel hulls rs difiicult in design andconstruction, it originating when wood was the only material availablefor that purpose, and the form has continued into metal construction,where as i ' ters Patent is:-'- \y in vertical line to jointly resistthe bumping against the vertical stone walls ofthe approaches and locks.

Our vessel, in order to be available for canal navigation must, ofnecessity, have a very low freeboard. In order to overcome the naturaldisadvantage of this arrangement we have provided a sectional elevatedfootbridge 5 to allow of communication between the-forward part of thevessel and the after part, while navigating at sea. There is alsoprovided a railroad or tramway 6 on each side of the deck and alongsidethe hatches 7, on which move one or more traveling cranes 8 which aredesignated to operate and handle the hatches and cargo and also to liftand lower into the holdthe superstructures 9 and 10 and all othermovable parts,

' including themselves, when it is desired to do so for canalnavigation, and to replace.

the same for sea-going navigation.

The superstructures 9 and 10, of our vesselmay be-of any desired style,according 'to the business for which the vessel is intended. However, itis advisable that both forward and after cabins be of relatively smallsectional construction and that the vessel be provided with a sectionalstack 11 and sectional bulwarks 12, all of t which parts, as well as'thesectional footbridge 5 are designed to be securely bolted to the deck,but in such manner as to be readily unshipped and carried within thehull of the vessel for canal navigation, as above described. It is alsopreferable that the hatch covers of our vessel'be composed of heavysteel plates bolted securely to the deck, to retain the strengthlost bythe openings and to allow of the free wash of the deck while navigatingat sea. Itis further to be supposed that the draft of our vessel wouldfluctuate considerably, owing to the possible variations in the weightof the cargo available, necessitating the carryin of more or less waterto assist in settling t e vessel suficiently to allow of freepassageunder the bridges. For this purpose and to afiord greaterlongitudinal strength there is provided a central fore and aft bulkhead13 through the cargo portion of the hull on top of the water bottom.This, with the usual cross bulkheads 14 will allow the carrying of waterin or on top of the water bottom as desired, which subdivision willprevent the water flowing to eitherside of the vessel While in the canalor at sea. When there is cargo both ways the center bulkhead may bedispensed with by adding more longitudinal strength to the sides, or bythe use of a shorter vessel.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secureby Let- 1. A vessel comprising ahull sectional movable superstructuresand having raildeck,

1,1ae,ese

road tracks and traveling crane or cranes on deck for removingsuperstructures to the hull, to allow passing under fixed spans orbridges when navigating canal, or to remove-them to deck when going tosea.

2. A canal or sea-going vessel of low freeboard comprising ahull havingheavy plate hatch covers bolted tightly to deck to rethe deck-when goingto sea, as desired.

3. A canal and sea-going vessel of low free-board, comprising a hullhaving hatch covers bolted tightly to the deck, and allowing the washofthe seas to wash thereover, sectional movable bulwarks on the bow tokeep waves 0d, movable sectional superstructures upon the deck'of thevessel, a removable bridge or elevated walk intermediate thesuperstructures, and means for removing said superstructures, bridge andbulwarks when navigating a canal, and again replacing them when going tosea.

4. A canal and sea-going vessel of low free-board, comprising a hullhaving hatch covers bolted tightly to the deck in a manner to retainstrength lost by such openin s and allow: the wash of seas to cross thedec r, sectional movable bulwarks on the bow to keep waves oif,removable sectional superstructures upon the deck of the vessel, aremovable bridge or elevated walk intermediate the superstructures andcommunicating therewith, and portable means upon the deck of the vesselfor removing the movable parts thereupon preparatory to navigating acanal and again restoring them to their original position preparatory togoing to sea.

5. A canal and sea-going vessel of low free-board, comprising a hullhaving hatch covers bolted tightly to the deck in a inanner to retainstrength lost by such openings and to allow the wash of seas to crossthe sectional movable superstructures upon the deck of the vessel,removable portable means upon the deck for manipulation of the movableparts and also the cargo of the vessel.

6. A canal and sea-going vessel of low free-board, rectangular in crosssection in the forward end, regular ship-shape in after end, acontinuous central girder or bulkhead within the cargo space andextending from keel to deck to control the wash of water ballast whenadmitted into the car 0 space for passing under bridges or w e deckintermediate the superstructures and ALEXANDER Mc-DOUGALL.communicating: therewith, and portable ,re- 7 ALEXANDER M. MQDOUGALL.

meeeee m;

at sea. removable sectional superstructures In testimony whereof Wehereunto affix deslgned to be bolted to the (leek 0f the vesourslgnatures 1n the presence of two W1t-10 sel, a removable walk or budgeupon the nesses.

mev ahle means upon the deck of the vessel Witnesses: 4 for remmn'lg orreplacmg the movable A. C. DUNN, structures earned by the vessel. S.GEO. STEVENS.

